Treasury sanctions financier tied to Khamenei, issues wind-down license for Smart Global

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2026 — The US Treasury Department on Friday targeted Iranian financial facilitator Ali Ansari, accusing him of overseeing a global asset network that benefits Mojtaba Khamenei and other elite figures tied to Iran’s ruling establishment, while the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Iran General License Y to authorize the wind-down of transactions involving Smart Global Limited.

Treasury said the action followed what it described as Iran’s resumption of attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The department said Ansari had “institutionalized” large-scale embezzlement, diverting publicly funded wealth into overseas real estate and commercial holdings for himself, regime elites and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to OFAC and Treasury, Dubai-based Ansari was designated along with Smart Global Limited, a Saint Kitts and Nevis holding company also known as Ziba Leisure Limited. Treasury said Ansari used shell companies and bank accounts across multiple jurisdictions to build holdings through Smart Global, with investments spanning Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates.

The US action also hit three Iranian exchange houses — Mohammad Darbani and Partners Exchange General Partnership Company, Lavasani and Partners General Partnership Company, and Mohsen Khandan and Partners General Partnership Company — along with several controlling partners and executives. OFAC also designated Hong Kong-based CDM Trading Limited and UAE-based Naba Alzaki Raw Materials Trading LLC.

OFAC said Iran General License Y authorizes the wind-down of transactions involving Smart Global Limited, indicating that parties with exposure to the company have a pathway to exit dealings that would otherwise be barred by the designation. At the same time, property and interests in property of the designated parties that are in the United States or under US control are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them unless authorized or exempt.